Steam and hand steering-gear



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I,

P. E. SIOKELS. STEAM AND HAND STEERING GEAR.

No. 444,024. Patented Jan. 6, 1891.

.Hiiy:

(No Model.) v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

F. E. SIOKELS. STEAM AND HAND STEERING GEAR.

No. 444,024. Patented Jan. 6, 1891.

. UNITED STATES PATENT @rrmn.

FREDERICK E. SIOKELS, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

STEAM AND HAND STEERING-GEAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 444,024, dated January 6, 1891.

Application filed September 2'7, 1888. Serial No. 286,622. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK E. SICKELS,

} a citizen of the United States of America, re-

siding at Kansas City, in the county of J ackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam and Hand Steering-Gear, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The nature of my invention consists in combining asteam steering-engine and a hand steering-gear so that both the hand and steam gear can be worked from the pilot-house by operating both ends of the tiller-ropes, one end being connected to the steam steeringgear and the other end to the hand steeringgear. When steam steering-gear is used, the hand gear is stationary, and when the hand steering-gear is used the steam steering-gear is stationary. Means are provided for holding each gear stationary while the other is in use. The pilot is enabled to steer by the same compass either by steam or hand gear, and all motion or noise of the steering-engine is removed from the pilot-house, as the engine is placed outside of it, thus securing an improved adaptation of steam and hand gear to the requirements of nautical men in the present construction of steam-vessels, and the combination of hand and steam steeringgear.

My improvement also consists in the means provided for locking and unlocking the steam steering-gear and the hand steering-gear, so that while either is used in steering the vessel the other is held stationary.

In the accompanying drawings only such parts are shown as will be necessary to illustrate this invention. The deck-beams and other parts of the vessel are omitted to reduce the size of the drawings; and to this end the pilot-house is shown directly over the steering-engine with deck-plank of two decks between them. Only the main parts of a steering-engine are shown, as this invention does not relate to any special form of steam steering-engine.

Figure 1 is a section through the middle of of the vessel, fore and aft, showing the compass, a hand steering-gear, and a steam steering-wheel in the pilot-house, with the tiller ropes and sliding blocks and tiller-chain, and a steam steering-engine and a hand and steam steering-gear below decks. Fig. 2 is a crosssection showing compass, hand steering-gear, and steam steering-wheel inthe pilot-house, and the tiller-ropes, sliding blocks, and tillerchain, and a steam steering-engine and steam and hand steering-gear below decks.

The same letters refer to same parts in each figure.

' A A are the cylinders of a steam steeringengine, placed so as to work at right angles on the same crank-pin '1, connected to the crankshaft C.

D D are the steam-chests containing the balanced slide-valves.

E E are the cylinders on top of the steamchest to hold the balance-pistons of the slidevalves.

Piston-valves may be used. instead of balanced slide-valves.

Any form of valve-gear as well as any form of steering-engine may be used.

G is a drum connected to the eccentric F and mounted on the engine-shaft 0. Both the drum and eccentric can turn loose around one-half of a revolution on the engine-shaft C, so as to reverse the steam as it may be desired to turn the engine one way 01' the other in steering the vessel by steam.

Instead of the drum turning the eccentric around on the shaft, it may shift the eccentric across the shaft, as shown in Patent No. 251,477, granted to me December 27, 1881, it being necessary that the drum G should move and control the valve motion of the steam steering-engines. The drum G has a deep spiral groove turned into it. The cord H has its two ends secured to the two ends of the drum at I I, and is wound into the groove, and the middle portion of the cord H extends upward around the grooved rim K on the steering-wheel R. This wheel R is loosely mounted on the shaft U and can turn around independent of the steering-wheel L and the steering-barrel S.

M N is the stand holding the compass in the pilot-house V.

I will now describe steering by steam. As the pilot stands so as to see the compass, he moves the wheel R. It causes the cord H to move the drum G, and thus apply the steam on the engine, which, as it moves and turns around the shaft C, together with the steering-wheels B B and steam steering-barrels \V, one end of each of the tiller-ropes X X are fastened to the barrel \V in the usual manner, and as one is unwound the other is wound onto the barrel. lead each to its own sliding blocks Z Z and moves these blocks, so as to communicate motion to the rudder through the tiller-chains Y Y, as is often practiced, and thus cause the steam to move the rudder as the steersman moves the wheel R in the pilot-house V. As in moving the sliding blocks Z Z and the rudder the tiller-ropes in passing around pulleys in these blocks connect to the hand steering-barrel S in the pilot-house and eommunicate a force to this barrel that tends to turn it around, to prevent it from moving, checks a a, Fig. 2, are placed under the spokes of the hand steering-wheel L.

I will now describe steering by hand, with the steam steering-gear rem aiuing stationary. The chock-piece b is raised up to engage between two of the spokes of the steering-wheel B. This secures the barrel \V from turning while working the hand steering-gear. The chock-pieces a a 1112:. the hand-wheel I. are removed, and then the pilot can handle the wheel L to steer the vessel. If it is desired to use the wheel R in connection with the hand steering-gear, the rope H can be taken of]? of the grooved rim K, and the wheel R then connected to the hand steering-barrel S by means of a bolt that passes through the hole 0, made in a plate P, into the hub of the steeringavheel R, thus securing the steering-wheel R to the barrel S, the plate P being permanently secured to the shaft U and the 1 barrel S of the hand steering-gear. After the front steering-wheel R is thus secured to the hand steering-barrel S both wheels in the pilot-house can be used in steering by hand.

If from any cause it is desired to steer by steam with the pilot standing near the steering-engine, the hand wheel Q should be shifted back into gear with the drum G and the cord H removed from the drum G, the chock-piece Z) being, as shown in the drawings, Fig. 1, removed from between the spokes of the wheel B and the hand steering-wheel L, secured by the chock-pieces a a, as shown in the drawiug of Fig. Then by moving the steeringwheel R the steam steering-gear will operate to steer the vessel as the pilot works the wheel Q. Kit is desired to steer by hand near the steeringengine, the clutch (Z can be used to disconnect the shaft 0 from the drum 1V and These tiller-ropes steering-wheels l3 and B, and then these wheels can be used to steer by hand-power as they turn around on the shaft C. If the number of turns of the cord H that is wound around the drum G agrees with the number of turns of the barrel \V required to move the rudder from hard-over one way to hardover the other, then when this cord is unwound from the drum in either direction it acts as a stop on the steam steering-wheel R in the pilot-house and prevents moving the rudder too far when steering by steam-power. Any form of stops can be used with this invention.

The distinctive feature of this invention is the working of the two ends of the tiller-rope, one to steer by steam and the other by hand, from one and the same pilot-house, so that while all motion and noise is excluded full control is obtained for both hand and steam gear in the pilot-house, as both are connected to the opposite ends of the tiller-rope. Means are also provided to chock either hand or steam gear, as may be necessary in working the hand and steam part separately.

The cord 0 is to operate the chock-piece I), Fig. 2, from the pilot-house, if desired. The cord f, Fig. 1, is to operate the clutch d, Fig. 1, from the pilot-house. \Vhen this clutch is thrown out of gear, the hand wheels B B can be used independent of the steam steeringengine to steer by hand, as before explained, as this clutch connects the shaft (1 to the barrel \V, and when this clutch is thrown out the drum \V revolves freely on the engineshaft 0, that passes through it.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a hand steering-gear and the controlling-wheel R of a steam steering-gear, loose upon the shaft of the hand steering-wheel and in the same pilot-house, with tiller-ropes, one end of which is worked to steer by hand and the other end is worked to steer by steam, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a hand gear and steam gear mechanism having one end of the tiller-rope leading to the hand gear and the other end of said rope leading to the steam gear, and locking mechanism whereby the hand gear is locked when the steam gear is in use and the steam gear is locked when the hand gear is in use.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK E.

\Vitnesses:

A. H. SPELLMIRE, 0. A. LUCAS.

SIUKELS. 

